A Friday U.S. ground stop order halted all U.S. flights for more than four hours, triggering cancellations and delays that travellers may be able to address under Canada’s Air Passenger Protection Regulations.
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A Friday ground stop order from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration halted all U.S. flights for more than four hours, disrupting travel plans for some Canadians and leading to knock-on cancellations and delays.
Under Canada’s Air Passenger Protection Regulations, passengers have the right to be rebooked when their flight is cancelled or subject to a lengthy delay. The rules require airlines to rebook travellers on the next available flight operated by the airline or a partner airline that departs within 48 hours of the passenger’s original departure time.
Gabor Lukacs, an air passenger rights advocate, said that for international travel, including trips to and from the United States, if airlines cannot find a flight within the 48-hour window, they must rebook passengers on a competing airline.
Lukacs said passengers generally receive stronger protections, including the potential to claim compensation, when disruptions are within an airline’s control. He said the U.S. nationwide grounding is considered an “extraordinary circumstance” outside an airline’s control, which affects what passengers can claim.
Air Canada said it cancelled about 250 flights, affecting about 27,000 passengers after the FAA issued the ground stop order. Porter Airlines and WestJet said it will likely take the whole weekend for flights to return to normal schedules.
Lukacs noted that Canadians travelling between Canada and the U.S. are covered by both countries’ air passenger regulations, but he said Canada’s protections are stronger.
For Canadians stuck in the U.S. who had to book hotels or cover extra meal costs because of delays, Lukacs said airlines are not required to pay travellers back under Canada’s approach. He said, “In Canada, that's not an obligation.”
Lukacs said passengers who believe airlines have not met their obligations under the law should document their communications with the airline and take the matter to small claims court.
The U.S. government said the ground stop order was issued after new technology was added to the nation’s air traffic control system, overloading antiquated equipment and causing intermittent communications and radar gaps; the matter is under investigation.
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